How The Chakra System Relates To Our Age & Stages of Development

There are seven chakras within the body, running from the base of the spine all the way up to the crown of the head. Chakra is the sanskrit word for “wheel” or “circle,” because the chakras are energy centres, thus when they are balanced they spin and allow energy to flow up the spine (or the Kundalini). Chakras can become overactive, underactive, or even blocked, which can affect us both physically and emotionally.

The physical realm can affect our chakras and our chakras can affect our physical reality: They are meant to work in harmony together. You have the power to balance your chakras yourself, which can be done through meditation, yoga, self-reflection, nutrition, energetic healing, crystals, or even just by being in a high vibration setting or taking a deeper look at your emotions.

When the chakras are balanced, we feel at our best and our bodies are in their healthiest state. Many people who are familiar with the chakra system can quite literally feel it, and can intuitively recognize when their specific chakras are imbalanced. Since our seven chakras (in the body) work in congruency with our lives, and as everything is connected, our lives also move in cyclical patterns corresponding to each of the seven chakras.

Every seven years, we have one dominant chakra for that cycle; for example, the first seven years of our lives relate to the root chakra, then the following seven years (ages 8-14) are tied to the sacral chakra, and so on. Within each of these seven year cycles, we also climb up a seven-chakra ladder, influencing us on a yearly basis. So, the first year of every cycle begins with the first chakra, experiencing more fear and a need for security (root chakra), and then the last year of every cycle relates more to spirituality (crown chakra).
If you’re unfamiliar with the chakra system, read this article first.

How Our Age Relates to the Chakra System

1 year old (root+root): The root chakra can be associated with security, family, and feeling grounded. Our primal instincts and our more Earthly thoughts and actions are tied to the root chakra. In our first year in this lifetime, we enter into the root chakra cycle, and the first year in the cycle is associated with the root chakra. This period represents the first time we’ve ever seen or experienced this lifetime; we’re only just getting familiar with this planet, and so it’s largely about fear and our more Earthly, grounding feelings.

2 years old (root + sacral): At age two, we are still in the root chakra cycle, focusing on the Earthly elements, but we start to develop feelings, as this year is tied to the sacral chakra. The sacral chakra is all about sexuality, creativity, and emotions. We have a strong attachment to our loved ones at this age and we start to develop preferences, likes, and dislikes.

3 years old (root + solar plexus): At age three, still in the root chakra cycle, we are tied to the solar plexus. The solar plexus is the chakra related to our “I am” presence, our sense of self, and our understanding of how we work in relation to the rest of the world. At three years old, we start to understand who we are in relation to others, as we start to actually observe the world.

4 years old (root + heart): At age four, we’re still in the root chakra cycle, but we’re entering into the heart chakra year. Our heart chakras represent love and connection, in regards to both ourselves and others. When imbalanced, the heart can be overbearing or afraid to love, but when balanced, it allows our love and interconnectedness to shine through. At age four, we are still learning our connection to the Earth and becoming more familiar with it, and we begin to express love towards family and friends even more. We start to become more sociable as we attend pre-school and kindergarten.

5 years old (root + throat): At age five, we are in the root cycle but enter into the throat year. The throat chakra is all about communication and self expression, as well as developing a healthy balance of listening and speaking. Children at age five typically start school and begin to articulate their words better as well as start speaking more.

6 years old (root + third eye): At age six, we are in the root, but the third eye year. The third eye is all about intuition, the pineal gland, and learning to critically think. At age six, we begin to think for ourselves a little more and are better at communicating knowledge and thoughts to others, as we are starting to understand them better ourselves.

7 years old (root + crown): At age seven, we enter into the final stage of the root chakra cycle as well as the year of the seventh chakra, the crown. The crown chakra is the one that connects our spirituality to the rest of the world, and ties our consciousness to the collective. It’s at this age that children begin to develop a greater curiosity for the world around them, particularly the unknown and the mysteriousness of our universe.

As you can see, the seven year cycle has a general theme, so in the case of ages one through seven, it’s the root chakra, but then each year has a corresponding chakra to it. Now that you have a greater understanding of how the cycles work, I’ll summarize each of the following cycles in relation to the stages of development.

Ages 8-14 (the sacral chakra): In this cycle, we enter into the sacral chakra, which is all about sexual energy, creativity, and learning to feel our emotions and express them freely. During this stage of development, we begin to experience sexuality for the first time, and often times people develop their first “crushes” during this period. Young women will often get their periods within this timeframe and both females and males will start to develop a greater understanding of their sexuality and what reproduction is as well. It’s in this timeframe that many children will experience their first relationship and gain a better understanding of what both sexes represent.

Ages 15-21 (the solar plexus chakra): This cycle is governed by the solar plexus chakra, which is our sense of Self and understanding of who we are as souls and as people. Many kids experience teen angst and become more selfish or introspective as they develop a stronger sense of who they are. We also start to objectively look at who we are in relation to other people and how our personalities affect our relationships and overall perspectives. People often develop strong hopes and dreams at this point in time, as we gain a better understanding of what we want out of life and what our purpose here on Earth is (or what we perceive it to be).

Ages 22-28 (the heart chakra): This is when we enter into the heart chakra cycle, which is governed by a love for both ourselves and others. Many people often meet their life partners during this time, especially as society puts pressure on people to get married within this timeframe. It’s here that many people look inwards and develop a greater love for themselves, which they are then able to apply outwards to their relationships and overall appreciation for life and all people. Many people also start to think about how they want to make a mark on the world, as they have a stronger appreciation for Earth and the people living here as our hearts continue to open up.

Ages 29-35 (the throat chakra): This cycle relates to the throat chakra, which is in charge of our communication skills and our ability to express ourselves. It’s in this stage of development that many people truly find their voice and are comfortable with who they are, thus allowing them to express themselves more freely and openly. Many people find their life’s purpose during this time, or begin to refine it, because they’ve developed a greater ability to communicate what they want.

Ages 36-42 (the third eye chakra): At this time, people enter into their third eye chakra cycle, which is all about intuition, wisdom, and synthesizing information. Tons of people begin to have epiphanies or are able to better understand the knowledge they’ve gained from life up until now and then how to use it effectively. Many people fall too strongly into their belief systems and allow them to govern their lives during this stage, as they have an imbalance in the third eye.

Ages 43-49 (the crown chakra): The final cycle is related to the crown chakra, the chakra related to spiritual awakenings, the collective consciousness, and our spiritual connection to all beings and all things in creation. It’s during this time that many people begin to fear the unknown or death, often meaning they have a block in the crown chakra. This stage in life can also peak people’s interests in spirituality and the interconnectedness of the world, and so many people develop a greater craving for knowledge and understanding of the universe, which is often reflected into reality as a “mid-life crisis.”

Final Thoughts

If this knowledge doesn’t resonate with you, that’s totally cool! For me, when I first discovered this through studying ancient Vedic and religious teachings as well as yoga, I felt that the chakras and the age system truly related to my life. I can see how all of these patterns have emerged in my life thus far and am excited to discover whether or not this still relates to my life years from now.

Personally, I am currently in the heart chakra stage, as I am 23 years old. Last year, before even realizing that I was in my year of the heart chakra and the root, I had a strong focus on both of those chakras, always feeling the need to balance them out. My heart chakra seemed to always be overactive, and my root chakra was always underactive, and I could see this theme throughout the entire duration of the year.

Now that I’m 23, I’m in the age of the heart and sacral chakras. I can already recognize that love, passion, sexual energy, creativity, embracing my feelings, and expressing myself freely are all themes I’m exploring as a 23-year-old.

If this information resonates with you, then I encourage you to take note of how those themes affect your life and how you can heal your chakras. We have lots of related articles on how to heal your chakras on the CE website, including this one I wrote on how to heal your chakras through food, and this one on how to re-align your chakras. Much love!